KYIV, Ukraine — Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not ready for compromises” to end his brutal war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told The Post in an exclusive interview on Wednesday — but President Trump has the power to bring him to his knees by speeding up tough sanctions that could cause a “social explosion” in Russia.

A close ally of Vladimir Putin and the former prime minister of Russia has warned the Kremlin could launch “preventative strikes” on the West “if necessary.”

The West is waging a full-scale war against Russia, and Moscow should respond in full, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has said.Mr Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council,

President Donald Trump issues Russian President Vladimir Putin a 50-day deadline to end Ukraine war or face 100% tariffs, prompting skepticism from the EU's chief diplomat and Kyiv's mayor over 50-day timeframe.

Ukraine’s military commander in charge of the country’s drone warfare program urged the US and NATO countries alike on Wednesday to learn from Kyiv’s use of the technology on the battlefield so in the future there are not “hard questions from your children [about] when [their] father will come back.

The Kremlin has been rocked by the news that a once staunch ally is considering an exit from a Russian-led military coalition. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), often seen as Russia's answer to NATO,

It is believed that Russia has been unable to secure more than one percent of additional territory from Ukraine since early 2024, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio citing that Russian forces have suffered the loss of over 100,000 troops in the first half of 2025 alone.

That included a Monday joint statement from Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal calling Trump’s threat of ramped-up economic penalties if Russia doesn’t cut a peace deal in next 50 days “a real executive hammer to drive the parties to the negotiating table.”

In 2024, births in Russia fell to 1.22 million — the lowest level since 1999 — while deaths increased by 3.3% annually, to 1.82 million.

Officials have warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that a demographic crisis could mean the country he leads will be short millions of workers by the end of the decade.